Electrical therapeutic apparatus



P 1933- R. w. CHAPMAN ELECTRICAL THERAPEUTIC APPARATUS Filed May '7, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 3 Mm Mk 3 5 mm \nvenTor. Rdph \N. Chapman byM 61W%& iimww Aifiyso Sept. 5, 1933. R. w. CHAPMAN ELECTRICAL THERAPEUTIC APPARATUS Filed May 7, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 \nvenfor Rdph W.Chupmon YM WA? ATTys.

Sept. 5, 1933. R w CHAPMAN 1,925,370

ELECTRICAL THERAPEUT IC APPARATUS Filed May 7, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 \nvenTor. Ru\ph W. Chapman Afiys.

Sept. 5, 1933. w CHAPMAN 1,925,370

ELECTRICAL THERAPEUT I C APPARATUS Filed May '7. 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Fig. 8.

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Rcdph W. Ghupmm by/W/WJW Patented Sept. 5, 1933 ELECTRICAL THERAEEUTIC APPARATUS.

Ralph W. Chapman, Old Town, Maine, assignor to T. M. Chapmans Sons 00., Old Town,

Maine. a corporation of Maine Application May '7, 1932. Serial No. 609,913

18 Claims.

This invention relates to electrical therapeutic apparatus and particularly to an apparatus of the general type illustrated in my Patents No. 1,268,- i5, June 4, 1918 and No. 1,525,628, February 3,

The devices illustrated in said patents comprise a current generating device which includes a plurality of magnets, a plurality of coils connected in series, means to produce a relative rotation between the coils and the magnets and means to produce also a relative movement of the coils and magnets toward and from each other thereby to vary the air gap and thus producing a surging orvarying current.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide an improved form of therapeutic apparatus of this type which is so constructed that the character of the surging current can be changed while the machine is in operation and without stopping the machine.

Another object is to provide improvements in therapeutic apparatus of this type which renders the apparatus more flexible than the devices shown in the above-mentioned patents in that it is provided with means not only for varying the character of the surging current but with means by which the strength of the current can be readily varied independently of any variations in the character of the current.

Further objects of the invention are to provide improvements by which a current which is of increased smoothness can be produced, whether it be a direct current or an alternating current.

Other objects of the invention are to provide various improvements in therapeutic apparatus of this type which will be more fully hereinafter set forth and then pointed out in the appended claims.

In order to give an understanding of the invention I have illustrated in the drawings a selected embodiment thereof which will now be described after which the novel features will be pointed out in the appended claims.

Fig. l is sectional View through an'apparatus embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the current-generting device shown in Fig. 1 with a part broken out;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the current-reversing device;

Fig. i is a section on the line 4-4, Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a view illustrating the means for shifting the control of the coils from one cam to another;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view through the pole changer;

Fig. '3 is a section on the line 77, Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating the pole changer and circuit breaker;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating the pole changer and circuit breaker;

Fig. 10 is a wiring diagram;

Fig. 11 is a detail view of one of the jack plugs by which the pads may be connected to different circuits.

As stated above the apparatus herein shown is of that type which includes a current-generating device having a coil unit comprising a series of connected coils and a magnet unit comprising a series of permanent magnets, means for relatively rotating said units and means for increasing and decreasing repeatedly the air gap between the coils and the magnets thereby producing the surging current.

In the present invention the permanent magnets are carried by the rotor element of the current-generating device and the coils are mounted on the stator element. The permanent magnets of the current generating device are indicated at 1 and they are mounted on a rotary element 2 which is shown as being secured to the shaft 3 of a motor 4. The coils of the currentgenerating device are indicated at 5 and these are connected in series are mounted on a stator element indicated generally at 6. Both the rotor element and stator element of the current-generating device are shown as suspended from the under side of a supporting plate 7 which is designed to constitute the top of a suitable cabinet 8 in which the apparatus may be housed.

The relative rotation between the magnet unit and the coil unit will generate the current and the surging character of the current is derived by mounting the stator 6 so that it will swing to ward and from the rotor about an axis extending transversely to the axis of rotation. As herein illustrated the stator element 6 is secured to a shaft 9 which is journalled in bearings 10 carried by a cam housing element 11 which is secured to the under side of the supporting plate 7.

The oscillating or swinging movement of the stator 6 is provided for by means which oscillates the shaft 9. The means herein shown for this purpose comprises an arm 12 which is carried by the shaft 9 and a cam device engaging the free end of the arm and serving to give the desired rocking movement to the arm 12 and the shaft 9.

In order to provide four surging currents of different character I propose to use a plurality of cams having different shapes and to provide means by which the arm 12 can be brought into operative engagement with any one of the cams.

Situated within the cam housing 11 is a camsupporting shaft 13, the latter being journalled in bearings 14 formed in the housing 11. This shaft 13 has a plurality of cams 15 mounted thereon, each cam having a different shape, and means are provided whereby the arm 12 may be shifted into position to engage any one of these cams. Means are also provided for rotating the cam shaft 13 from the rotor element of the current-generating device. This cam shaft is shown as provided with a Worm gear 16 which meshes with a worm 17 carried by a shaft 18 that is journalled in suitable bearings 19 that are carried by the cam housing 11. The shaft 18 extends beyond the cam housing as shown at 20 and telescopes into a hollow hub 21 which is rigid with the rotor element. The hub 21 and the shaft 20 are splined together so that the rotation of the rotor element will be transmitted to the shaft 18 and from the shaft 18 to the cam shaft 13 through the worm 17 and worm gear 16.

The various cams 15 are shown as rigidly secured to the shaft 13 through the medium of a bolt 22 which extends through all of the cams and through both a collar 23 which is rigid with the shaft 13 and through the gear 16 as best seen in Fig. 2. The cams are separated by separator disks 24 which are somewhat larger in diameter than the cams themselves. There is thus provided grooves or channels 25 between the disks into which the end 26 of the arm 12 is received.

From the above it will be understood that when the current-generating device is in operation the rotation of the rotor element 2 will cause a current to be generated and will also rotate the cam shaft 13 thereby causing the particular cam with which the arm 12 is in engagement to produce a rocking motion of the shaft 9 and an oscillating movement of the stator 6 toward and from the rotor thereby producing the desired surging current.

I have stated above that suitable means are employed for selectively bringing the arm 12 into engagement with any one of the cams depending on the character of the surging current which it is desired to produce. For this purpose the arm 12 is mounted to slide longitudinally of the shaft 9. Said shaft is shown as flat sided and the end face 2'7 of the arm has a shape complemental to that of the shaft, said arm being held to the shaft by means of a cap member 28.

Extending axially of the shaft is an adjusting rod 29 which carries a radially-extending pin 30 that extends through a slot 31 formed in the shaft 9 and into an aperture 32 formed in the cap 28. Means are provided for shifting the rod 29 longitudinally of the shaft 9, such shifting movement operating through the pin 30 to slide the arm 12 longitudinally of the shaft, the slot and the pin moving in the slot 31 during such shifting movement.

I have provided means accessible from above the plate '7 for thus shifting the rod 29. As herein shown said rod 29 extends beyond the housing 11 at one end as indicated at 33 and said end of the shaft is connected by an arm 34 to one end of a rack bar 35 which is slidably mounted in suitable ways formed in the top of the housing 11. The teeth of this rack bar mesh with teeth 36 carried on the lower end of a shaft 37 which is journalled in suitable bearings 38 and which extends through the supporting plate 7, said shaft having a hand wheel 39 on its exposed end by which it may be turned. The turning of the handle 39 will shift the rack bar 35 and thereby shift the arm 12 longitudinally of the shaft 9.

To permit such shifting movement of the arm 12 it will be necessary to raise the arm above the separator disks 24 and to provide for this the shaft 9 is extended through one of the bearings 10 as indicated at 40 and such extension is provided with an arm 41 which extends up through the supporting plate '7 and is provided with a finger piece 42. By depressing the finger piece to carry it from the upper to the lower dotted line position Fig. l the shaft 9 will be rocked sufficiently to free the arm 12 from the separator disks 24 and after this has been done then the hand wheel 39 may be manipulated to shift the arm 12 longitudinally of the cam shaft 13 and to bring the arm into position to engage any one of the cams.

150 is a stop arm secured to the extended end 40 of the shaft 9 and which carries an adjustable stop screw 151 adapted to engage a flange on the housing 11. This stop arm limits the swinging movement of the stator 6 toward the rotor 5.

In addition to the means above described for producing a surging current having different characteristics the apparatus herein shown is provided with means for varying the strength of the current. This is accomplished herein by providing means for shifting or adjusting the rotor element toward or from the stator element so that the periodic oscillations of the coils will be at different distances from the permanent magnets.

The motor 4 is shown as secured to a motor base 43 which is slidably mounted upon a housing element 44 which in turn is secured to the under side of the plate "I as by means of suitable bolts 45 and means are provided which are accessible above the supporting plate 7 for shifting the position of the motor base 43 on the housing 44 in the direction of the axis of rotation. The housing 44 is provided with ways or guides 46, one on each side, on which the motor base 43 is mounted. Said motor base is provided with plates 47 which overlie the guiding ribs or ways .46 and is formed with guiding faces 48 which engage the under side of the ribs or ways 46. 49 indicates a gib which is employed on one side for the purpose of taking up wear.

The motor base 43 is thus slidable back and forth on the ways 46 thereby moving the motor 4 and the rotor element 2 bodily toward and from the stator element. The motor base 43 is connected by a strap 50 to one end of a sleeve 51 which is slidably mounted in a bearing 52 carried by the housing element 44. This sleeve 51 has an interiorly screw-threaded portion 53 which has screw-threaded engagement with an adjusting screw 54 that is mounted in suitable bearings 55 carried by the housing element 44. The screw 55 has fast thereto a bevelled gear 56 which meshes with another bevelled gear 57 carried by a vertical shaft 58, the latter being journalled in a bearing 59 carried by the housing element 44 and extending through the supporting plate 7. This shaft is provided at its upper end with a hand Wheel 0 by which it may be rotated. The rota- If a relatively strong surging current is desired then the air gap between the coils and the magnets may be reduced by shifting the motor 4 and rotor 2 to the left in Fig. 1 while a shifting movement of the motor and rotor in the opposite direc tion will increase the air gap and thus result in tho-generation of a weaker current.

The construction above described operates to produce a surging or varying alternating current w -ich may be of a greater or less strength as desired. The machine is also preferably constructed with suitable rectifying means for rec-tn fying the alternating current so as to deliver a direct current.

The device is further provided with suitable means for periodically interrupting the current delivered to the patient whether the current be an alternating current or a direct current.

The device is further provided with suitable means for periodically changing the direction of the direct current.

The wires leading to the pads are connected to a plug connection which can be plugged into any one of a series of receptacles or socket connections depending on the character of current which it desired to deliver to the patient. For inthe wiring is such that if the plug connection is plugged into one receptacle or socket connection an alternating current will be delivcred if it is plugged into another receptacle or socket connection an interrupted alternating current will be delivered and if plugged into a third socket connection a direct current will be delivered and into a fourth s cket connection an interrupted direct current will be delivered.

Such a plug connection is illustrated at 61 in Fi 11. The two wires leading to the pads are indicated 62 and 63 and these are connected to wiring terminals 64 65 respectively that are housed within a suitable plug housing 66. The plug connection 61 is provided with a plug terminal having two portions 67 and 68 insulated from each other but connected to the wiring ter- 54 and 65 respectively.

The receptacle or socket member for each plug terminal is provided with the two contact members 69, '79 which are adapted to contact with the terminals 6'7 and 68 respectively. The socket terminals 69 and 79 are carried by an insulating supporting plate 71 situated beneath the supporting plate 7 and the plate 7 carries a plurality of guiding bushings '72, one for each socket, through which theplug terminal may be entered as shown in Fig. 11, each bushing guiding the plug terminal into engagement with the socket contacts 70.

Referring to Fig. 10 which shows a wiring diagram, there are four such socket connections illustrated, one for the alternating current, one for the interrupted alternating current, one for the direct current and one for the interrupted direct current.

In Fig. 10 the socket terminal, indicated at 73, has .wiring connections so. that an alternating current will be delivered therefrom, the socket connection 74 has wiring connections so that an interrupted alternating current will be delivered therefrom; the socket connection 75 has wiring connections so that a direct current will be delivered therefrom while the socket connection 76 has wiring connections by which an interrupted direct current will be delivered.

The tw terminals 69 and '79 of the socket con-- nection 73 are connectedby circuit connections 77, 93 with the armature coils 5 and hence when the terminal plug 61 is plugged into the receptacle 73 the alternating current generated in these coils. will be delivered to the patient.

The contact 70 of the receptacle '74 is connected to the coils 5 through circuit connections '79, '77 while the contact 69 of said socket receptacle 74 is connected to the coils through the circuit connections 80 and 78. The con nection 80 has an interrupter therein which will be presently described and by which the circuit is periodically opened and closed.

The socket connections 75 and '26 take current from a rectifier indicated generally at 82. Any suitable current rectifier may be employed therefore, the diagrammatic representation of such rectifier only is illustrated. The alternating current generated in the coils 5 is led to the rectifier 82 through circuit connections 83, 84, the circuit connection 83 having a pair of normally-closed contacts 169 therein which are adapted to be opened when the plug is plugged into the receptacle 73. One of the contacts 160 has a laterally-extending portion 151 of insulating material which is engaged by the plug terminal when the latter is plugged into the receptacle '73 thereby opening the circuit leading to the rectifier while the alternating current is being used. When the attachment plug is in the receptacle 75, howeventhese contacts 160 are closed so that the rectifier is connected in the circuit.

One of the output terminals of the rectifier is connected to the terminal 69 of the socket connection '75 by the wiring connections 85 and the other contact '70 of the socket connection '75 is connected to the output terminal of the rectifier through wiring connections 86. the latter being shown as having a filter unit 87 therein for the purpose of smoothing out the current.

The terminal 69 of the socket connection '76 is connected to the wiring connections 85 through a wiring connection 88 while the contacts '70 of said socket connections 76 is connected to the wiring connections 86 through a wiring connection 89 which leads to and through the interrupter unit 90.

191 indicates a reversing switch by which the direction of the direct current can be reversed.

The interrupter unit is illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9. This is provided with two pairs of contacts, one for the circuit connection 89 and the other for the circuit connection 89. The contacts for the circuit connection 89 are indicated at 91, 92 respectively and they are sh wn carried by resilient arms 93, 94 which are suitably insulated from each other and are mounted on a bracket 95 secured to the cam housing 11. These contacts 91, 92 are opened and closed by a hunter 96 of insulating material which is secured to the vibrating armature-supporting member 6. Each time that the armature-supporting member moves to the right Fig. 8 it engages the arm 93 and closes the contacts 91, 92 and when it moves to the left these contacts lilf) are opened. There is a similar of contacts til The reversing switch, shown diagrammatically at 191 in Fig. 10, is also actuated by the oscillating movement of the coil-supporting member 6. This switch comprises a commutator device carried. on a shaft 102 which extends up through the supporting plate '7. This commutator has two contact elements 103, 104 which are provided with interleaved contact segments, those on the motor 103 being indicated at 105 and those on the motor 104 being indicated at 106. These members 105, 106 are insulated from each other.

107 and 108 indicate brushes bearing on the central portion of the commutator comprising the interleaved sections 105 and 106. 109 is a brush bearing on the cylindrical hub portion 110 of the commutator member 104 and 111 is a brush bearing on the cylindrical portion 112 of the commutator section 105.

The brushes 109, 111 are connected to the wiring connections 85, 86 leading to the rectifier 82 and the brushes 107, 108 are connected to the wiring connections 85, 86 leading to the socket connections.

The shaft 102 has a ratchet 113 thereon which is adapted to be engaged by a pawl 114 carried by a pawl carrier 115 that is pivotally mounted on the shaft 2. Means are provided for oscillating this pawl carrier by the swinging movement of the member 6 thereby to move the shaft forward with a step by step movement. For this purpose the pawl carrier 115 is connected by a link 116 to a latch member 117 which operates in a slot 118 formed in a plate 119 that is secured to and depends from the member 6. So long as the latch is in raised position shown in Figs. 8 and 9 the member 6 will vibrate without giving any movement to the latch but if the latch member is lowered into position so that the notch 120 therein engages the lower edge of the slot 118 then the vibrating movement of the member 6 will cause an oscillating movement of the pawl carrier 115 and a step by step movement of the shaft 102.

The vertical position of the latch 117 is controlled by a member 121 which is pivotally mounted at 122 to the cam housing 11 and which has a short arm 123 situated to engage the link 116 and a longer arm 124.

125 is a control shaft extending up through the plate 7 and provided with an arm 126 adapted to engage the upstanding arm 124. If the shaft 125 is turned anti-clockwise Fig. 9 so as to remove the arm 126 from the upstanding arm 124 the weight of the latch 117 will swing the member 121 about its pivot thus allowing the latch to be lowered into position to permit the notch 120 to engage the lower edge of the slot 118 and stated above when this condition obtains the shaft 102 with its commutator will be ratcheted forward with a step by step movement.

The ratchet is made so that at each forward movement the commutator will be advanced a distance equal to the width of one of the sections 105, 106. In one position of rest the brush 107 will be engaging one of the contact sections 106 when the brush 108 is engaging one of the contact sections 105. At the next forward step the commutator will be advanced so that the brush 107 will be engaging one of the sections 105 while the brush 108 will be engaging one of the contact sections 106. Thus at each forward step of the commutator the current will be reversed. The construction is such that the actual reversing of the current takes place at the end of the backward movement of the member 6.

I claim:

1. An electric therapeutic apparatus having a current generator comprising a coil unit and a magnet unit and means to produce a relative rotation between said units, one of said units being pivotally mounted. to swing toward and from the other unit about an axis extending at right angles to the axis of said relative rotation, and means to swing said pivotally mounted unit about its axis.

2. An electric therapeutic apparatus having. combination, a coil unit, a magnet unit, means to rotate said units relative to each other thereby to generate a current, a rock shaft extending at right angles to the of relative rotation and on which one of said units is mounted, and means to oscillate the rock shaft to move said units toward and from each other.

3. An electric therapeutic apparatus having, in combination, a coil unit, a magnet unit, means to rotate the magnet unit relative to the coil unit thereby to generate a current, and means to swing the coil unit toward and from the magnet unit about an axis extending at right angles to the axis of rotation of the magnet unit.

4. An electric therapeutic apparatus having, in combination, a rotatively-mounted magnet unit, a coil unit, a rock shaft extending at right angles to the axis of rotation of the magnet unit and on which the coil unit is mounted, and to oscillate said rock shaft to swing the coil unit toward and from the magnet unit.

5. An electric therapeutic apparatus having, in combination, a rotatively-mounted magnet unit, a coil unit mounted to swing toward and from the magnet unit about an axis extending at right angles to the axis of rotation of said magnet unit, a plurality of cams, cam-actuated means for oscillating the coil unit about its axis, and for selecticly placing said cam-actuated means into operative engagement with any one of the cams.

6. An electric therapeutic apparatus having, in combination, a rotatively-mounted magnet unit, a coil unit mounted to swing toward and from the magnet unit the latter rotates thereby to produce a surging current, and selective means for varying the surge-producing movement of said coils.

7. An electric therapeutic apparatus having. in combination. a rotatively-mounted unit, a coil unit mounted to swing toward and from the magnet unit as the latter rotates thereby to produce a surging current, a plurality of cams for controlling the surge-producing oscillating movement of said coils, and means for rendering any one of said cams operative.

8. In an electric therapeutic apparatus, the combination with a rotatively-mounted magnet unit, of a rock shaft extending at right angles to the axis of rotation of the magnet unit, a coil unit carried by said rock shaft, an arm mounted on the roclr shaft, and a cam engaging said arm and operating to oscillate the rock shaft thereby swinging the coil unit toward and from the magnet unit.

9. In an electric therapeutic apparatus, the combination with a rotatively-mounted magnet unit, of a rock shaft extending at right angles to the axis of rotation of the magnet unit, a coil unit carried by said rock shaft, an arm mounted on the rock shaft, a plurality of cams, and means to place said arm into operative engagement with any one of the cams.

10; In an electric therapeutic apparatus, the combination with a rctatively-mounted magnet unit, of a rock shaft extending at right angles to the axis of rotation of the magnet unit, a coil unit carried saidrock shaft, an arm mounted on the rock sh a plurality of cams, means to place said arm into operative engagement with any one of the cams, and means to rotate the cams from the magnet unit.

11. An electric therapeutic apparatus, having, in combination, a coil unit, a magnet unit, means for producing a relative rotation between said units'thereioy to generate a current, means for adjusting said units toward and from each other in the direction of the of relative rotation, one of said units being mounted to swing toward and from the other unit about an axis extending at right angles to said axis of relative rotaticn, and means to oscillate the swinging element about its axis.

12. An electric therapeutic apparatus having, in combination, a rotatively inounted magnet unit, a coil unit .ounted to swing toward and from the magnet -t an a at it angles to the axis of rotati n of the magnet unit, lieans for giving the co l unit an oscillating movement about its axis, and m ans for adjusting the magnet unit toward and from the coil unit.

13. .An electric therapeutic apparatus having a current generator comprising a coil unit and a magnet unit and means to produce a relative rotation between said units, means to produce a relative movement of such units toward and from each other thereby to vary the air gap, and means actuated by such relative movement to periodically interrupt the circuit.

14. An electric therapeutic apparatus having,

in combination, a coil unit, a magnet unit, means to rotate said units relative to each other thereby to generate a current, one of said units being pivotally mounted to swing toward and from the other unit about an axis extending at right angles to the of said relative rotation, means to swing said pivotally mounted unit about its axis, and m ans actuated by the swinging movement said unit to per odically interrupt the circuit.

An electric therapeutic apparatus having, "n combination, a coil unit, a magnet unit, means rotate the magnet unit relative to the coil unit thereby to crate a current, means to swing the ard and from the magnet unit about i is extending at right angles to the axis of v.cn of the magnet unit, and means actuated cvement of the coil unit to pethe circuit. 7 crapeutic apparatus having a movement of such units toward and from each other there-My to vary the air gap, and means actuated by such relative movement to reverse m direction of the current.

eutic apparatus having, or generating a direct each other, whereby a surging current is ;ed, and means actuated by said relative rection.

is. An electric therapeutic apparatus having, in co ination, a coil unit, a magnet unit, means to rotate the magnet unit relative to the coil unit thereby to generate a current, means to swing the coil unit toward anc. from the magnet unit about an axis extending at right angles to the axis of rotation of the magnet unit, and means actuated by the swinging movement of the coil unit to periodically reverse the current direction.

RALPH W. CHAPMAN. 

